Rev Med Virol 2002 Mar;12(2):107-13
Rouse BT, Deshpande S.
Department of Microbiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
TN 37996-0845, USA.
Viruses are considered as causative agents and contributors to lesion expression in autoimmune disease, notions best supported by studies in animal model systems.
This review discusses relationships between virus infection and autoimmunity focusing on mechanisms by which they could induce autoreactivity.
The popular idea of molecular mimicry is viewed skeptically with the
reviewers taking the viewpoint that viruses contribute to autoimmunity
mainly by inducing several nonspecific inflammatory events that together
are sufficient to trigger autoreactivity in genetically receptive hosts.
Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.